A Conversation with Jack’s Mannequin’s Andrew McMahon – HuffPost 9.28.11

Mike Ragogna: Why, it’s Jack’s Mannequin pianist and vocalist Andrew McMahon. Hello, Andrew.

Andrew McMahon: How are you doing man?

MR: I’m pretty well, how are you, sir?

AM: I’m doing well, thanks.

MR: Let’s just dive into People And Things, so to speak. It’s like a concept album about relationships. Were there things happening in your life that helped inspire its creation?

AM: Yeah. I think, like anything–and especially with Jack’s Mannequin–all the records have had some sort of conceptual bent to them. I think, largely, they just take on the moment in my life that I’m in when I’m writing them, and certainly, themes develop from there. With the way things played out with The Glass Passenger–the last album–and it being so much about my recovery and about that period of time in my life, there was sort of this window of the first couple, three years of my being married that kind of ended up falling to the wayside as it related back to my writing. When I started working on this record, “My Racing Thoughts” was sort of the first thing that came out, and it was sort of a picture–granted, it was a window into maybe one of the harder moments in those first few years. But it certainly became a little bit of a shining light onto how I would move forward and do my best to maybe even talk about some of the trickier elements of what that kind of a relationship is like.

MR: We don’t have to dwell on this, but I did want to touch on it–you were diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

AM: Yes, that was in May of 2005.

MR: And was that after you released Everything In Transit, your first album?

AM: It was actually just as I’d finished it, and a few months before it was released.

MR: Now, that obviously took a bit of a toll when it comes to promotion and related things.

AM: Yeah. It impacted just about everything in my life up to that moment, and up to this moment probably, but it certainly took me out of the early promotion of the first Jack’s Mannequin record. I got back to work pretty quickly, considering the circumstances, and within a year of my diagnosis, I was back on the road in some form or another. But, needless to say, I was very passionate about the first Jack’s Mannequin record–it was my first artistic statement away from Something Corporate. So, we went on a pretty grueling follow-up to try and educate people on what Jack’s Mannequin was. I spent probably a good two years following the release of that record touring it and touring it and touring it after I got well enough to do so. It was sort of in that context that I worked on The Glass Passenger, which was the follow-up to it.

MR: Now, with this new album being about relationships, everything builds from point A to point Z. I’ve also read a little bit about how it’s also about people moving on in other way in their lives. So, your work seems to be inspired by beyond your personal life, maybe from some larger statement that you’re making, perhaps from lessons you’ve learned. Is that fair to say that about your creative process?

AM: Yeah, I think for me, the process is just trying to be my best, to be as open to what’s happening in my life, and finding ways to interpret that. In the case of this record, it was certainly an effect of watching the people I sort of had grown up with and the people that I’m close with entering a different period of time in their lives. To some extent, I avoided talking about those things during The Glass Passenger with the whole “I’m in my mid ’20s and I’m married now” thing. And you’re starting to see your friends get married, and move in with their girlfriends and get real jobs and it’s a different time. I think I was scared about writing about that around the time that I was writing Passenger. With this record, I sort of said, “That’s what I do. I write about what’s going on in my life.” I think, despite the fact that maybe–to some extent–that’s not as sexy of a conversation as some of the previous topics in my records have been, that’s what was really happening to me. And I really became motivated on this record to confront that head on, and to find the angle on it that I could use to connect with other people, and to find the words that told the truth about what that was like.

MR: Now, you’ve already performed a few songs from People And Things on the road, for instance, “Restless Dream.”

AM: Yeah–we’ve done “Restless Dream,” “Hostage,” “My Racing Thoughts,” “Amelia Jean.” We’ve gotten into almost half the record. We’ve also played “Release Me” a handful of times. While we’re out on this tour with Guster, we’ve been kind of putting sounds up at soundcheck and sorting through them, and then just putting them up that night, just throwing them against the wall and seeing if they stick. It’s actually been pretty fun.

MR: Here’s an obnoxious question. What is your favorite song on the album?

AM: Wow, that’s a good question. You know, there’s a song that I’m hoping is at least going to be a favorite once it comes around and people get to hear the whole thing that I’ve been really liking called “Television.” We haven’t done that one live yet.

MR: What’s the story behind the song?

AM: It’s funny…I hate to be unoriginal, but it’s kind of a similar story to “My Racing Thoughts.” Granted, “Television” is one of the only three or four that I wrote with a friend, another writer. So, originally, when I sat down with this buddy of mine–this guy named Jaren Johnston, who played in a band called American Bang, who I’d shared an A&R guy with over the years and became really good friends with. The concept was that we wanted to write a song about a family. It was something that I hadn’t really done a lot of. We were going to try and write a song for our parents, originally. (laughs) It started, but it just never went there. I found myself throwing open one of my journals, and there was this note in there, which is a pretty clear reflection of my life, and it said, “Write a song about sleeping with your television on.” Frankly, to fall asleep, I need to be in the company of a turned-on television. I remember thinking, “Wow. I gotta imagine that I’m not the only one who’s dealing with this.” So, we sort of painted this picture, this idea, of a couple sitting at dinner and gradually, the night kind of–over the course of drinks and whatever–sort of devolves into an argument. And then there’s this idea that you still end up in the same room, having to fall asleep next to one another. It’s about what that looks like, and the idea of the television being there to sort of bridge the silence in the room. It’s a little dark, but I think it’s kind of a fun song, so I’m okay with the dark story, I guess.

MR: Nothing on this record is just sitting on the surface. You always have more going on, and it’s something I’ve always admired about you and your writing.

AM: Thank you, man. I mean, my goal is always just to write about the real things that happen everyday. Frankly, most of those things are very sensational, but they’re only made sensational by the fact that they’re turned into songs. But for the most part, they’re just little moments in my day, and that tends to be where I find inspiration to write these songs.

MR: Of all the songs on the album, which one is the most personally revealing?

AM: I think “Platform Fire” is up there in that regard. I’d say, to some extent, it’s the first time I really spelled out not just what my experience on the road is like–some nights, you’re sort of out there on this burning stage just trying to make your way through the evening–but was able to relate that back to home, and the fact that this job that I have, and that I love, can be tricky. I’m blessed to have people in my life that make it possible for me to sort of be this satellite that leaves home and travel and write music like I do. In that sense, it’s a pretty honest reflection of who I am and where I’m at, at this particular moment.

MR: Now, you also had Matt Thiessen from Relient K working with you.

AM: Yeah, I actually did, in Nashville with Matt a couple of Januaries ago, and then he came out to L.A. and hung out with me for a couple of days at my house. I always laugh, because with “Platform Fire,” I had written that first verse before he had come over, and I definitely had fallen in love with just the progression and the lyric, and he came over and sort of helped me finish it. My wife always jokes that hearing that session was a pretty hysterical thing. She walked by the studio door, and she always jokes that the two of us sounded like school children playing with toys in our bedroom or something like that, because we were having so much fun when we wrote the song. And it was–it was actually a really enjoyable writing experience.

MR: What advice do you have for new artists?

AM: Practice a lot. I think there’s such a focus, these days, on home recording and on accessing digital media and all these things–which of course are, without question, hugely important. But to any artist, I would say focus on your songs. Focus on making your band sound good live. Focus on saying something honestly and creating something striking and original. To some extent, that other stuff, people get sort of obsessed with early and end up focusing on the wrong places. Those things will fall into place if you can do the other stuff.

MR: I do appreciate that you gave us some time, Andrew. All the best with everything. I did want to ask though I know this is a sensitive subject, but are you now in complete remission?

AM: Oh, yeah, six years now. I’m healthy and well and have been for some time.

MR: God bless, that’s really great. All the best, Andrew.

AM: Thank you, Mike. And I appreciate your listening to the record. Take it easy.

Transcribed by Claire Wellin